“I cannot believe you ditched your dress fitting and you bought a new dress to wear. Someone is getting brave,” Kassi says from her relaxed position on my bed. She has a rare day off and refuses to spend it at my parents’ dinner. Can’t say I blame her.

Chuckling, I finish putting the back on my earring and smooth my hands down my dress. Taking a step back, I peek at myself in the floor-length mirror. After Tucker’s little dress talk, I decided that he was spot on. I shouldn’t have to wear something my parents pick out for me. I should be able to get my own dress to wear. So I did, and I could not be happier about my choice. The morning after lunch with Tuck last week, I went straight to Jane’s and exchanged inventory help hours for her finding me the perfect dress. Let me just say, Jane is a godsend! She found me an empire-waist, floor-length champagne chiffon gown that fits me like a freaking glove. There’s a sheer beaded mesh along the upper half of the dress with a design that’s intricate and classy. The back is my favorite part, because it’s a keyhole design, leaving the dress to be sexy and alluring. I happened to have a pair of shoes that match it. My short blonde hair is elegantly styled to one side, the pink tips slightly concealed so my mother doesn’t have too big of a heart attack. The look is completed with smoky eyes and simple jewelry.

Who’s the designer? No clue, and I don’t care to know. My mother is the one who’s all about labels, not me.

“You ready for this thing with the stud? Your parents are gonna flip. Not only is he tattooed, a mechanic, a musician, and sinfully sexy, he’s not Tanner. Your boyfriend. That’s gonna cause an uproar all on its own, you know,” Kassi tells me.

She’s right; it will cause a hassle with my parents. My dad probably won’t give a crap since he doesn’t pay any attention to me anyway, but my mother is bound to flip her lid—in private, of course. I can see it now: she’ll give a tight-lipped smile, a kiss on the cheek for show, and whisper in my ear about what a disgrace I am. Can’t wait.

And then there’s the matter of going with Tucker. I told Tanner last night that I was still going to the dinner, but I didn’t tell him who I was going with. I didn’t see the huge deal in telling him since the reason we’re going together is because Tanner bailed. I would say that I feel guilty for not telling him because he’s been apologizing constantly for not being able to make it, but that would be kind of a lie. How am I supposed to know if he means it? How am I supposed to know how genuine he is about everything? It’s horrible that I’m now questioning everything he says or does, but I can’t help it. I feel like I don’t know him at all now.

Get through the dinner tonight and then worry about Tanner.

Pushing aside my thoughts, I check myself in the mirror one last time. Happy with how I look, I spin around, the dress swishing at my feet. “Well?”

Kassi’s eyes go wide, and tears start to form. “A vision,” she says happily. “You look absolutely incredible, Maurie. You always do.”

“Thanks,” I say quietly.

Kassi is about to speak, but as she opens her mouth, the doorbell rings and I freeze up.

“He’s heeeeere!” she squeaks. “Want me to go get that?”

I nod my head, unable to speak.

“Breathe, girlie. Breathe.” Apparently I haven’t been doing that either.

I follow Kassi out of my bedroom and down the narrow hallway to the living room. I wait in there as she rounds the corner to the small entryway and opens the door.

“Hey you! You’re lucky I love Maura and have this creepy outlook toward dating dudes who are younger than me, because, damn, you are handsome as hell!”

I hear Tucker give a small laugh and say, “Thank you, Kassi. Don’t let her boyfriend hear you say that.”

The mention of Tanner can’t stop the goosebumps that form when I set my eyes on Tucker in a simple black tux that hugs his muscles in the best way. The air whooshes out of my lungs, and my knees wobble. He’s absolutely dazzling. And then he smiles, and it’s like a damn beacon because I automatically start walking toward him.

“Stop,” he says, holding his hand up. “I want to admire you a moment.”

And he does. My God, he does. Tucker’s stare on me feels divine. The glimmer in his eyes is captivating and full of want. Nobody has ever looked at me the way he’s looking at me now, and I’ve never felt more beautiful in my life.

He lifts a finger and twirls it in the air, signaling me to spin around. A part of me doesn’t want to and wants to surprise him with the back, but I know he’ll never allow us to leave without me showing him, because Tucker is stubborn like that. So I turn slowly and unsteadily, my eyes locked on his. When I’m fully facing away from him, I hear a sharp inhale and the heavy thumps of his feet approaching me. Next I feel his body heat and warm breath on my neck.

“I hate that we’re just friends,” he says in a hushed tone, his lips brushing lightly against my body.

I gulp loudly and step away from him. We’ve been crossing too many lines lately, and I’m not about to add another to the list, but I want nothing more than to spin around, wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him until I can’t breathe anymore.

“We should get going,” I tell him, my voice still thick.

Creating a wide berth, I walk around him, going straight for the hallway to grab my clutch and light cardigan in case it gets chilly.

Kassi meets me there before Tucker does.

“Wow. That was…,” she starts.

“I know,” I cut her off.

She frowns. “Is it always like that?”

I shake my head. “No, not always. We seem to have these moments when it’s difficult.”

Kassi steps forward and speaks low. “You sure it’s a good idea to go with him?”

Do I? I don’t know if it’s the best decision I’ve ever made, but after the way he looked at me, there’s no way I’m backing out now. Besides, I know where the line is, and I’m not crossing it.

“It’ll be fine. Promise.”

She accepts my answer and steps back as Tucker joins us in the small space.

“Ready?” He offers an arm.

“As I’ll ever be.”

* * *

Tucker insists on opening my door for me at the valet station, earning him strange looks from my mother’s hired help.

“Damn,” he whistles. “This place is kinda insane.”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

I peer up at the massive house I grew up in. It’s basically an eleven-bedroom mini-mansion complete with a half-circle driveway and fountain. Not to mention the sprawling, precisely manicured lawn and in-ground pool. You’d think that growing up in a house this gigantic would be luxurious and every person’s dream, but not mine. This house is cold and lonely and mean. It holds nothing but sad memories for me, which is why I try to avoid it as much as possible.

“Good?” Tucker says in my ear.

“Sure,” I tell him grimly.

He reaches down and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, and I suddenly feel better about the walk we’re taking up the stairs into my own personal hell.

The second I see her, all hope of having a semi-decent evening vanishes. From the outside, no one would be able to tell how pissed off my mother is. No one else could see the shadows in her eyes or the disappointment in her rigid spine. To everyone else in the packed room, she’d appear happy and regal. But to me she looks threatening.

I watch as she makes her way over to us, eyeing Tucker with intensity and hatred. Comical because she doesn’t know the man and frustrating because I know she’ll never try to. Guess it’s a good thing she can’t see any of his tattoos.

“Maura,” she says stiffly, leaning in for her infamous cheek kiss. I cringe when I feel her mouth hover near my ear. “We’ll be discussing your hideous attire and date later.” Every word she speaks is dripping with disgust.

I step back from her and use all the restraint I have not to glare at her, because no one would dare glare at Norah.

“It’s so good to see you, dear.” And just like that, she’s back into “perfect mother” mode, playing it up for all to see. “Who’s your…friend?”

Tucker places a reassuring hand on my lower back, heating up my skin with his gentle touch. His action tells me he doesn’t trust her and sees through everything she’s saying. “Tucker Bentley, Ms. Doughers. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you. Maura’s told me all about you,” he says without a hint of sarcasm or distaste in his voice.

My mother doesn’t know it, but Tucker just lied through his teeth. It’s not a pleasure to meet my mother. He knows exactly how mean she can be.

“Bentley? You’re related to Tanner, then?” she questions.

“Yes, I’m his younger brother.”

My mother’s eyebrows raise just a fraction, and she purses her lips, giving me look full of repulsion. “You’re escorting your brother’s girlfriend to our event this evening, Mr. Bentley? How…kind of you.”

Translation: My daughter is whore and it’s all your fault.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And what is it you do for a living?” Typical Norah, only caring about someone’s social status.

“Mother!” I seethe.

She shoots me a look that has me folding into myself and stepping closer to Tucker. He pulls me into him, giving me the support I so desperately need.

“I’m a mechanic, ma’am. I work with my hands for a living and write music in my spare time. I occasionally tend bar too. I find my work to be very satisfying.”

My mother’s back stiffens, and I fight a laugh at Tucker’s blatant dare for her to speak ill of either of them.

“Isn’t that lovely,” she says in her usual condescending tone.

“Very,” Tucker replies with over-the-top enthusiasm to drive the point home that no matter what she says, it’s not going to bother him.

Her gaze narrows in his direction. “Maura, a word.”

I gaze up at Tucker with wide eyes. He dips his head in an almost imperceptible movement to tell me he’ll wait here with a watchful eye.

My mother leads me to a quiet corner. As soon as we have a small semblance of privacy, all gloves come off and the bitch I know comes out.

“What exactly is it that you think you’re doing, young lady? You come in not only not dressed in the designer gown I picked out for you but instead in this…frock, but you also come with him?”

The revulsion is so apparent in her voice. I start to retreat further into myself, letting the familiar shame wash over me, when I feel Tucker’s eyes on me. Just knowing that he’s there and watching helps me gain courage.

“Mother, you don’t—” I begin.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she interrupts. “You do not get to try to explain your way out of this mess. Do you have any idea how that makes us appear? Like we’re sliding way down the social ladder and letting our whore daughter bang everyone on the way down! You’re a disgrace to this family, and I’m utterly ashamed to call you my daughter. You’re not welcome to our next charity dinner until you can learn to behave with manners and respect me. Now, go out there, smile, and do not embarrass me any further.”

I stand there stunned, my jaw hanging wide open as she straightens her back, spins on a too-expensive heel, and marches away into the crowd. Tears begin to form in my eyes and threaten to fall when Tucker strides over to my side, instantly wrapping me up into his arms.

“That hurt to watch,” he says as he cradles my head to his chest.

“It hurt to hear,” I tell him on a strangled whisper. “She called me a whore and said she was ashamed to call me her daughter.”

He squeezes me tighter, telling me sorry without saying it. Slowly pulling away, he cups my face between his hands and tilts my chin up so that we’re gazing at one another.

“Maura, you’re so strong and beautiful and brilliant. Don’t you dare listen to a word she says. You got it?”

“Got it.”

“You wanna go dance?”

Before I can answer, he’s pulling me onto the dance floor because the house is enormous enough to have a small ballroom. Tucker makes a show of it, bowing to me as if I were Cinderella or some shit. I laugh a little too loudly at his display because I know he’s doing it to piss off my mother, who he knows is watching me like a hawk.

Tucker catches me off guard, drawing me up close to him mid laugh and causing my breath to catch in my throat. I look up into his gaze, seeing that any hint of playfulness is gone and replaced by unfiltered desire.

“I love it when you do that. Your laugh is so hypnotizing,” he says in a gravelly voice.

We continue our formal, friendly dance around the small, hardly occupied dance floor. We’re lost in our own world, escaping in the comfort we find together and hiding from everything else.

“Where do you bartend at?” I ask to distract myself and because I’m insanely curious.

“Mic’s, but I don’t do it that often. Only when Gary needs me.”

“I had no idea.”

He shrugs. “It’s not a huge deal. He lets me play there whenever I want and helps fend off the suits for me, so I do what I can to give back to him.”

“Gary’s a good guy, huh?”

“The best.”

I can tell by his tone that he respects the owner of Mic’s and truly appreciates everything he does for him. Knowing that he takes none of it for granted, like I know most people would do, makes me like him that much more.

With our eyes locked on each other, I say, “Thank you for tonight, Tucker. Thanks for coming and letting me lean on you.

“Anytime. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

I take his words, fold them up, and place them deep inside my heart for later. Because those nine words mean more to me than he’ll ever know, and I have a feeling I’ll be pulling them out again in the future.

The song comes to an end, but we don’t break apart. This continues through two more songs until Tucker abruptly stops. I follow suit, and then we’re standing there, staring at one another in that way we shouldn’t be.

Almost out of left field, Tucker dips his head, and I know where he’s aiming. My lips. I want so badly to reach up and meet his kiss, but that would be crossing lines I don’t want to cross.

Although I don’t want to cross lines, I don’t turn my head or duck out of the way. Instead I’m frozen there, watching as it all happens in slow motion.

Tucker moving closer to my waiting lips at an agonizingly slow place, causing my heart to work overtime.

The fire of pure want that keeps dancing in his gaze, as they flick between my doe-like eyes and parted lips.

Our harsh breaths mingling and our chests rapidly moving as he draws closer and closer and closer.

But then, at the very last possible second, when I feel his lips ghost against mine, he steers right and kisses my cheek lightly.

I close my eyes on a sigh, and we fall back into our dance, Tucker pulling me closer than before.

“I’m sorry,” he says in a quiet voice.

I squeeze my eyes closed and wish away the new tears that are threatening to form. He’s saying sorry for almost kissing me, for my mom, for wanting me the way he wants me. And for all the things he’s done to make this harder on me.

As much as I should apologize too, I don’t. Because I know that if I open my mouth, a sob will come out, further embarrassing my mother and putting me higher on her shit-list.

I should apologize for almost letting him kiss me, for my mom’s bitch-tude toward him, for wanting him and letting him want me although we both know nothing can ever come of it. All of it. But I don’t because I’m selfish and possibly stupid.

The song comes to an end, and we pull apart. “Restroom,” I squeak out, rushing off in search of a moment to myself. I hear him call my name, but I’m too focused on running up the stairs to get to the nearest balcony for air. Stepping up to the railing, I automatically regret not stopping to grab my jacket, because it’s starting to get chilly. I wrap my arms myself and stare off into the night.

The scene in front of me was always my favorite thing about growing up here. In the middle of our backyard was a massive, old tree. The tree was dead, but it was still beautiful. Actually, I think that was part of its charm. I won’t think about how similar it is to Tucker’s tattoo, because that would lead to all thoughts concerning Tucker, and he’s exactly what I’m trying to escape.

“Well, isn’t this cozy,” I hear from behind me.

I whirl around as the voice registers to me. “T-Tanner?” My voice is too high and sounds a bit panicked because I know the way I was dancing with his brother was inappropriate, and that’s without throwing in the almost kiss. I’m terrified he saw it all. “W-what are you doing here?”

Tanner takes two steps closer, the moonlight hitting his face this time. He seems…off. Not quite pissed, but not real happy either. I retreat one step at the displeasure I see on his face and bump into the railing.

“I could ask you the same thing, Maura.” He takes another step closer.

“I-I told you I was coming. My mom would have my ass if I didn’t show up.”

Tanner stares at me, his emotions still unknown to me until I see his jaw tick once. He’s definitely pissed off, probably worse than I’ve ever seen before. “Why haven’t you launched yourself into my arms yet?”

I immediately move forward and begin apologizing. “I’m sorry. You surprised me is all.”

I try to put my arms around him, and he backs away. I wish I could say I’m stunned by all this, but I’m not. I’m positive now that he saw Tucker and me dancing too close together, which means he also probably witnessed our almost kiss. I hang my head in shame.

“How long?” he says on a choked whisper that causes me to flinch. Everything in my body starts to hurt because I know how badly I’ve hurt him. “How long have you been in love with him?”

My head jerks up at his question. “I-I’m no—”

He puts his hand up. “Save it. It’s written all over your face. People may think I’m stupid, Maura, but I can assure you that I’m not. Friends don’t look at one another that way.”

My mouth hangs open at his accusation. Am I? Am I in love with Tucker? But how could I be?

I shake my head at him and Tanner snorts. I can feel the disgust coming off him in waves. “Feel like shit, huh? Cheating will do that to you.”

“I didn’t cheat!” I argue immediately, because I didn’t cheat. At least that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.

He sneers, and I steel myself against the hurtful words I know he’s about to toss my way, because I know he’s going to be honest. “Maybe not physically, but don’t tell me you didn’t fall in love with him and he didn’t fall in love with you. It’s emotional, Maura, and that’s still fucking cheating.”

I close my eyes, trying to block him out, but he doesn’t stop. “Do you have any idea how bad that hurts? I’d rather you screw him than fall in love with him, but I bet you did that too. Was he any good? Did he give you what I couldn’t? What about his dick? Is it bigger than mine?” he growls. “Tucker always was better than me at everything, so why wouldn’t he be better at fucking my girl than I am?”

I know he’s acting like a dick right now to try and hurt me back. My hand moves to my chest as the tears start falling, my body is wracked with sobs for the pain I know I’m causing him. Tanner’s a soldier. Emotions and physical reactions aren’t his thing. Instead, he says how he feels with his words, and he basically told me I broke his fucking heart.

Stepping forward again, I try to grab his hand, but he shoves me off. “You fucking smell like him!” he yells. “Dammit!”

He stalks away and starts pacing, running his hands through his hair. I’m momentarily reminded of Tucker in the parking lot of Mic’s, the first time I ever saw him lose his cool.

Tucker. Where is he?

Another tear falls at the direction my thoughts took. I’m standing here, face-to-face with my boyfriend, knowing I’m hurting him, and I’m still thinking about Tucker. That’s beyond messed up.

“I came here to surprise you because I know how hard all this has been on you, and I find this. This! You in my asshole little brother’s arms, cozied up and mooning at one another like you’re both fifteen fucking years old. It’s sickening,” he continues. Tanner pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and hanging his head. “He’s my brother,” he says quietly. “My fucking brother. I loved you, Maura. I honestly, truly loved you. You were—”

“But you didn’t,” I cut him off. I catch a breath between the tears, standing up straighter at his words. “You don’t know me, so how can you love me?”

“Know you? What that fuck are you smoking, woman? We’ve been together for eight months. How can I not know you?”

I swallow thickly. “You see who I want you to see, and you never try to explore beyond that, Tanner. You don’t see me.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Is that what this bullshit is? His fucking emotional ‘deep connection’ thing? I don’t do that crap, Maura! I don’t feel things like other people do. I’m trained to switch that shit off so I don’t hurt the same way. It takes a lot to crush me. But this? This fucking crushes me.”

“Tanner, I’m so—”

“Don’t you dare,” he seethes. “I don’t want to hear how ‘sorry’ you are. I don’t want to hear how you didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t want to hear any of it.” Tanner stops pacing and twists toward me, pinning me with his heated glare. Then an almost sinister expression settles over his face, and I know I’m going to hate whatever it is he says next. “You want to know what I want? I want to forget about you. I want to forget that I met you. I want to go back to being me. And I never want to talk to you or my dickhead brother ever again. You can let him know that for me, yeah?”

“Tanner!” I yell a little too loudly at his retreating back.

He stops walking and says in a dead voice without facing me, “I told you that I don’t want to hear your apologies. I loved you, Maura, and you broke my fucking heart. But that’s not what hurts the most. He’s my brother. You both should have known better.”

“That’s not fair. You’re not here, and we barely talk anymore.”

He turns and stalks back toward me. I back up until my back hits the railing. “I’m in the fucking military. What exactly is it that you expect? You want me to drop everything for you? Come running whenever you please? Call or text you every hour? Can’t do that, babe. My country, my family, and girls. That’s my motto, and that’s what it’s always been. Guess I can drop those last two now.”

“That’s not what I want and you know it. I love that you love your country. I always admired that about you until Tucker told me the real reason you joined.”

“The reason I signed up may have been selfish, but I’ve changed a whole hell of a lot since I’ve been in. You can’t judge me based on the decisions I made when I was younger. That’s not fair.”

We’re both eerily calm now, and I’m not sure how false it is on his side, but I do know that I’m freaking out on the inside.

Before I can say anything, he speaks again. “Guess he told you about calling dibs on you first too, huh? So, yeah, I went after you hard at first to piss him off, but the more we talked, the more I liked you, and then I went and fell in love.”

The only thing I care about in the whole spiel is him going after me to piss his brother off. Who the fuck does that shit to their brother? Wait. Is that what this is with Tucker? Payback? I shudder at the thought that Tucker has played me.

No, no, no. Not possible. I feel different with Tucker. I feel how real it is.

Clinging to that, I push any ill thoughts aside and glare at the man standing in front of me. “That’s what started this? You going after me because of Tucker? You wanna preach to me about family and how much you honor it. That’s a real shit thing to do to blood, Tanner. I won’t mention how you talk about him when he’s not around. Your double standards are tiresome.”

He scoffs. “Whatever. You don’t want to admit that you fucked up.”

“I don’t? Fine. Yeah, I have feelings for Tucker. I have no idea what they mean or how deep they go, but we connect on a level you and I will never reach. I’ve had plans to break it off for a while now but wanted to do it in person.”

“Because seeing you and Tucker together was so much fun,” he mutters sarcastically.

“No, I’m sure it wasn’t. But now, after you admitted to pursuing me for shitty reasons, it makes me think a lot less of you and question—more than I already was—what type of man you are.”

I guess hearing it all out loud like that strikes Tanner in a way it hasn’t before. He begins retreating toward the house. He’s looking at me as he twists his face into a cocky sneer and with obviously false bravado says, “I’m a man who’s too good for you.”

He spins at the click of the door.

“Mau—” My name dies on Tucker’s lips as he sees Tanner. His worry-filled golden gaze finds mine briefly before it flashes back to his brother. “What are you doing here?”

Tanner doesn’t say anything. Not one word. Instead, he rears his arm back and slams his fist into Tucker’s face just once. Tucker stumbles back, barely missing the glass door that’s sure to have shattered, and falls to the ground. I lurch forward and call out his name as Tanner leans down into his face and says three words to his brother and four to me.

“Fuck you, Tucker,” he spits. He turns his rage toward me. “And fuck you, too.”

Slinging the door open until it crashes against the potted plant—breaking it, I might add—he disappears into the house.

I rush over toward Tucker, who’s now cradling his face in his hands, breathing deeply through his nose. I place my hands over his to remove them, tilt his chin up, and examine the damage.

“You okay?” I ask softly.

He opens his eyes, and the usual brightness they hold is clouded with guilt and shame and heartbreak and tears. “I’m so sorry, Maura,” he says on a raspy whisper. “Sorry.”

The tears stream down my face almost instantly. He sounds so broken. I did that to him. I broke him. And I broke Tanner.

Tucker reaches forward and wipes away my tears. “I didn’t mean to do this to you. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”

I shake my head to stop his words. “No, no. It’s not your fault. I was in the wrong. I should have kept avoiding you.”

“I shouldn’t have stalked you.”

I laugh softly at his reference to a conversation that now seems like it happened so long ago.

How did this all get so messed up? I feel like it was yesterday that I was kissing Tanner goodbye and watching him walk away with my heart. I remember being excited to see his name pop up on my phone, being giddy to see him. I remember having fun with my group of friends and exchanging glances with Tucker that always seemed to last too long.

And then, as those glances lasted longer and became more frequent, making me realize that I didn’t have those with Tanner. So I stopped feeling excited. I stopped being so happy and started hiding more and more behind my stupid fucking mask. Everything…faded.

Until Tucker.

It’s always come back to him, and I have a feeling it always will.

“Why are you smiling?” he asks in a confused tone. Am I?  “I got punched and you’re smiling? That’s messed up.”

Despite what just happened, we can still joke with one another. We can still laugh. I think that’s a good testament to how well we work together.

I laugh, and on instinct I lean forward and brush my lips against his. Pulling back as I feel him press into me, I smirk at him and say, “Wanna get out of here?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

We help pull each other up. I give my dress a good brush off and attempt to wipe my make-up away because I sure as hell don’t want my mother to witness me with tear stains. Tucker places his hand on the small of my back, guiding me inside and through the huge house. We don’t stop to talk to anyone, and I barely breathe as I pray my mother doesn’t see us.

Luck doesn’t seem to be on our side tonight, because she’s suddenly in front of us.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she glares.

I tip my chin up and meet her stare. “Home.”

“Oh no, you most certainly are not. Go mingle.” I know she expects me to run off at her command and start playing nice with all her party guests, but I don’t. I stand there, waiting her out, as she the anger in her eyes continues to grow. “Maura,” she threatens through clenched teeth.

“Mother.”

“What are you doing.” Not a question.

Tucker adds the slightest amount of pressure to his hold on me, encouraging me to stand my ground.

“I’m leaving.”

“Why?” my mother demands.

“Because I want to.”

Her mouth forms an O, and she’s struck speechless. For the first time in a long time, I feel good. I feel hopeful.

“Lovely party, Mrs. Doughers. Have a great night,” Tucker says as he steers me past her with a small grin tugging at his lips.

We continue our march forward, and I spot my father. The slight pause in my step is enough to alert Tucker that something is off.

“What is it?” he questions with concern.

I briefly flick my eyes to him and then nod my head toward a group of older men.

“See that guy in the white tux? The one with the dark blond hair? That’s my father.”

When the word father leaves my lips, John Doughers glances over at me, and not three seconds pass before he turns back to his friends, not acknowledging me.

“What the fuck,” Tucker bites out. I look over to see him clenching his jaw, his eyebrow slanted over his darkening eyes. “He barely registered your existence.”

I place my hand on his arm, attempting to soothe him. We’ve had a rough night, and I can see that he’s easily irritable. “It’s fine, Tuck. I wasn’t kidding when I said he ignores me. Trust me, those three seconds are three seconds I’ll cherish for a long time.”

The sad part is that I’m not kidding. He ignores me so much that the days he looks at me become some of the most noteworthy days of my life.

Before I know what’s happening, Tucker’s charging over to my father and his group of ultra-rich friends. I watch as he inserts himself between everyone and gets up close to the face of the man who helped make me. Everyone around them is too stunned to do anything, so they continue to gawk as Tucker leans in close, and I assume he speaks into my father’s ear. Whatever he says causes the bright blue eyes that are so much like mine to land on me within milliseconds.

I instantly stand straighter and tip my chin up, the pose all women of my standards should have according to my mother. We hold our stares, me secretly soaking in every moment because I swear this is the longest my father has looked at me in years.

He gives a stiff nod as Tucker steps back. My father’s eyes shift back to the man in front of him, dismissing Tucker. A few moments pass before Tuck turns on his heel and stalks back toward me.

I’m still standing there in shock when Tucker reaches me. He places a hand on my elbow and begins steering me back toward the door.

“What did you say to him?” I ask quietly as we reach the main doors.

Tucker doesn’t look my way as he answers out of the corner of his mouth. “What he needed to hear.”

Vague much?

A weight seems to lift off both of us as we step out of the mini-mansion and into the clear spring night. I take a deep breath and push out all the shitty things that happened tonight when I exhale. I don’t want to think about my mom. I don’t want to think about Tanner. I don’t want to think about what this night has meant for whatever the hell is happening with Tucker and me. I don’t want to think about any of it. I want to forget and let it go for one night. Or for what’s left of the night.

I realize what I want to do on our walk down the steps. As Tucker hands his ticket to the valet, I turn to him and ask, “Wanna get drunk tonight?”

His eyes light up, and a mischievous smirk crosses his face. “Hell yes.”